Online Self-Paced Courses · Online Self-Paced
Ethics in Manual Therapy
About This Course
This comprehensive ethics course provides massage therapists and manual therapists with essential knowledge and practical tools to navigate the complex ethical landscape of contemporary practice. The course explores the four pillars of medical ethics—autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice—and examines professional codes from AMTA, ABMP, and FSMTB. Through four structured modules, participants will master critical topics including professional boundaries, therapeutic relationships, power dynamics, informed consent procedures, HIPAA compliance, and client confidentiality. The course addresses both traditional and modern ethical challenges, from managing dual relationships and scope of practice to navigating social media ethics and digital professionalism. Using practical decision-making frameworks like the PLUS model, participants will develop skills for analyzing and resolving real-world ethical dilemmas through case studies and self-reflection exercises. Whether you're a new practitioner or seasoned professional, this course provides invaluable guidance for maintaining the highest ethical standards while promoting self-care, cultural competence, and ongoing professional development in manual therapy practice. Completing the course will give the learner 4.5 CE of continuing education.
Who This Course Is For
This course is for Massage Therapists, and other manual therapists.
Learning Objectives
Students will be proficient in applying the four pillars of medical ethics (autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice) to real-world manual therapy scenarios and distinguishing between personal ethics, professional ethics, law, and standards of practice.
Students will be proficient in establishing and maintaining appropriate professional boundaries across physical, emotional, sexual, financial, and social dimensions while effectively managing power dynamics, dual relationships, transference, and counter-transference within the therapeutic relationship.
Students will be proficient in implementing legally and ethically valid informed consent procedures, maintaining HIPAA-compliant documentation and privacy practices, and demonstrating cultural competence while working within their scope of practice with diverse populations including special populations.
Students will be proficient in utilizing structured ethical decision-making frameworks, particularly the PLUS model, to systematically analyze and resolve complex ethical dilemmas in clinical practice, business operations, and digital professionalism.
Students will be proficient in integrating professional codes of ethics from major organizations (AMTA, ABMP, FSMTB) into daily practice, developing a personal code of ethics, implementing self-care strategies to prevent burnout, and appropriately identifying and reporting unethical conduct in the profession.
What's Included
Access to the course learning platform
Course Manual
4 Video Presentations
Module quizzes and a final exam
Downloadable Worksheets